Ethiopia's Ark

 

“ Then Bazaleel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.

He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it.

And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners: two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it.

He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

He also made the mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width.

He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the mercy seat:

One cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat.

The cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.”

 

Exodus 37: 2-9

 

In Judaism it is forbidden to worship objects created by man (the focus being faith or belief in one true god), “but there was one exception to this rule”.  One man made object considered to be holy amongst the Jewish people is called the Ark of the Covenant.  Suposedly, this ‘holy relic’ was built to house the Ten Commandments and was also a way for the Israelites to communicate with god during the time of Moses. The bible chronicles the life of the ark from the time it was built until the time it was placed in the GreatTemple (Beit ha-Midkash) in Jerusalem (which was eventually destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire). 

            Since then, there have been many stories as to the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant.  Some believe that the ark is located near the Dead Sea on the west bank of the Jordan River while others believe that the final resting place is a carved tunnel underneath the city of Jerusalem . Out of all the rumored locations circulated, there is one that stands out over all others. This site is a treasury vault which belongs to St. Mary of ZionChurch in Axum Ethiopia.

            Legend has it that there was a great queen known as Makeda (Bilqus or Balkis, or Nikaulis) who ruled over the kingdom of Sheba which spanned southwest Arabia all the way to Ethiopia. And this queen was so intrigued by the “virtue and prudence” of the biblical King Solomon (the keeper of the Ark of the Covenant), that she embarked on a 1400 mile journey to see him.  Makeda’s mission was to see if he was as wise as she had heard.  She tested him by posing riddles, many of which were of the old testament of the bible.  King Solomon became attracted to Makeda and one night after a banquet he had thrown for her, “suggested” that she spin the night with him.  Makeda (by tradition) was a virgin queen and had to remain so if she wanted to continue to rule her kingdom.   She made King Solomon promise not to take her virginity but eventually he tricked her into doing just that.  

According to the Kebra Nagast (Ethiopian Bible/manuscript), upon Makeda’s return home she gave birth to a son named Bayna- Leokem, better known as Menelik, who later became King David.  Menelik, with the help of Azaryas (son of the high priest named Zodak), stole the Ark of the Covenant because his father (King Solomon) was no longer the god-faring man he had once been.  Menelik was told by GOD, by way of the ark that the kingdom was going to change hands very soon.  King Nebuchadnezzar was to conquer Jerusalem and force the people out of their homeland.

 The ark was first kept on the island of Tana Kirkos (a monastery) in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. After 800 years, it was then transported to its final destination, the city of Axum, capital of the AxumiteKingdom. In 331 AD, the kingdom was converted to Christianity through the works of a Syrian monk named Frumentias.  The king of Axum (at that time), King Ezana, leveled all of the existing temples and built a great church called St. Mary of Zion in 372 AD.  It was here that the Ark of the Covenant was placed for safe keeping. 

The original St. Mary of Zion church was destroyed on one more than one occasion.  To commemorate the original church a new one was built in the 1960’s.  The building where the Ark of the Covenant is held is called the St. Mary of Zion Church Treasury and is guarded by a single Christian monk known as the Atang (keeper of the ark).  The current Atang (as of 2001) is Abba Mekonen.  According to National Geographic, during his interview when asked why the ark could not be viewed he said “who can look on the face of god?” 

The Christians of Ethiopia are considered orthodox because they follow the Bible’s Old Testament “almost” to a tee.  Some of the rules they follow that are consistent with the Old Testament include “food restrictions” and “the strict observance of naming (baptizing)” their children when they are born.   Each church has a “sanctuary” which houses a copy of the Ark of the Covenant called a Tabot.  The Tabot is the object which “consecrates a church”. This means that each individual church is “dedicated to a sacred purpose”.  They are the keepers of the Ark, the “holy of hollies”.

On January 19 of every year, the day Christ was baptized in the river Jordan, all the churches “parade” their Tabots during an event called the Timket Epiphany. The festival itself last three days but on Timket eve, Ketera, there is fasting in preparation for the festivities.   This is also the day when the priest bless the body of water where the ceremony will be held.  This body of water is used to “splash the faithful who wish to renew their vows” and is unusually large enough for people emerge themselves.    

  Although the national religion was changed to Christianity in 331 AD, a small group refused to convert.  These outsiders call themselves Falasha or Beta Isreal and currently claim to be the direct decendents of Menelik (King David). Through out history they were accused of using magic to kill children and have been referred as “Christ Killers” by Ethiopian Christians.  They have also been rejected as legitamate Jews by there counter parts. Due to this religious persecution after being accepted as “verifiable” by the Orthodox Rabbinate, many of the Falasha were airlifted out of Ethiopia into Israel in 1984 and 1991.  It took more than one try because the people of Israel were afraid that if the Ethiopian’s were brought in they would have to contend with the Ethiopian problem; AIDS. Eventually, the mission to transport Beta Israel was successful, but there are still many thousands left in Ethiopia.  All of which claim to be the decedents of Menelik (King David) son of Mekeda (the Queen of Sheba) and the biblical King Solomon; the original keeper of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant means many things to many people regardless of religion.   Its existence (or non-existence) has graced the pages of many books; has been the subject of many archeological debates; and has been the plot of many movies old and new.  Regardless of the media, everyone believes or at least agrees that if the Ark could be found it would be the most important find in recorded history.  So why, if it is located in the Axum vault, do the Ethiopians not use the worlds stage (television) to advertise or proclaim themselves as the keeper of gods voice?   I think the answer lies in the book of Psalms (Old Testament), chapter thirty-seven verses ten and eleven which states:

 

“For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;

Indeed, you will look diligently for his place,

But it shall be no more.

But the meek shall inherit the earth,

And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”